The present invention relates to a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System or MEMS gyroscope for detecting rotational movements about an x, y and/or z axis, particularly as a three-dimensional sensor, with a substrate and with several actuator driving masses which vibrate in an oscillatory manner in order to produce Coriolis forces on the driving masses during rotation of the substrate about the x, y and/or z axis.
A three-dimensional micro-electro-mechanical MEMS gyroscope is known from TW 286201 BB. This has masses that are arranged on a central armature and that are caused to move in an oscillating rotary motion. The masses are arranged on a substrate and are tilted about the y or x axis when a torque is applied about the x or y axis due to a resulting Coriolis force. This is made possible by suitable suspension of these driving masses on the substrate. When a torque occurs that acts about the z axis, partial masses can be deflected with a translation movement as a result of another suitable suspension of these partial masses on the rotationally mounted masses. Both the tilting movements and the translational motion can be detected by sensors and can be used as a measure of the corresponding rotation about the x, y or z axis because of their proportionality to the rotational movement of the substrate. The respective displacements, however, are very difficult to determine.
In order to create a three-dimensional gyroscope as a three-dimensional sensor with which rotations can be detected in all three axes, D. Wood et al have proposed in 1996 in the article “A monocyclic silicon gyroscope capital of sensing about three axes simultaneously” a gyroscope which has oscillating masses arranged annularly around a central anchoring point These masses are capable of carrying out both tilting and rotational movements as a result of Coriolis forces that occur. The disadvantage is that the manufacture of such a sensor, as well as the drive for the moving masses, is difficult. The movements of the individual components of the sensor mutually influence each other, so that measurements of the movement in the x, y or z direction of the gyroscope do not provide sufficient accuracy.